Yet another inmigrant!

[Rolos]

My life in the United States starts now.

Observation number 1:

You people are fat.

[War Machine]

Just in time for the storm. How are you feeling about the transition?

[Rolos]

The storm was awesome! First time I've ever seen something like that.
As for the transition...well, everything looks newer, bigger and cleaner here. And books are cheap. Mindbogginly cheap.
And people develop earlier. I've seen 15 year old girls I would have sworn were legal.
It's funny, few people believe me at first when I tell them I'm 19.
Also, I can't buy booze.

Observation number 2: My neighbors are too nice. Their sincere interest about my welfare disgusts me.

[Starnum]

Yes, welcome to the US, you immigrant.

Don't trust your neighbors. They're just waiting for you to let your guard down so they can kill and eat you. How do you think we get so fat? By eating scrawny little immigrants of course. >.>

[newbified]

Come up to Canada Rolos. We can drink when we're 19.

I actually immigrated to Canada from the states about 7 years ago. I can't imagine how different it would be for you. The States and Canada are almost one and the same. Except booze costs twice as much up here since it's all government run.

[Femto]

You haven't really been in the US until you visit NYC.

[Rolos]

@Femto:
I went to NYC once.
It fucking rocks once you get over the general filthiness of everything that's not 10 stories over the street level.
Is the Freedom Tower still on the planning stage?

@Newbified:
Actually, my plan originally involved immigration to Canada, not the U.S.
As it turns out, immigration is really hard for people from the third world there. If you add the fact that my level of French is that of a retarded toddler, the possibility of me getting a canadian immigration visa was practically nonexistent.

I don't really plan to stay in the States all my life, I just want to get a doctorate in Medicine here.
Once that's done, I'll start thinking about a permanent residence. There's one thing I know for sure: I'm not going back to Chile.
What I have to focus on now is to somehow extend my 1 year visa. May be if a work my ass off as a student I'll get a student one.


Observation number 3:
Gas is ridiculously cheap here.

[Femto]

Is the Freedom Tower still on the planning stage?

I don't even fucking know.

All I know is that it was supposed to be finished a long time ago.

It's ridiculous.

[Starnum]

You haven't really been in the US until you visit NYC.

Does that mean I've never been in my native country?

[Tempest]

Welcome to the U.S. Rolos, the melting pot of the world, and the land of opportunity.



Now quit taking all our jobs and food, you dirty heathen parasite!




BTW, you haven't REALLY seen America until you've visited Detroit.

[Starnum]

Is the Freedom Tower still on the planning stage?

I don't even fucking know.

All I know is that it was supposed to be finished a long time ago.

It's ridiculous.

I heard they canned the idea of the Freedom Tower and made an underground museum instead. What the crap is up with that?

BTW, you haven't REALLY seen America until you've visited Detroit.

I've been to Dallas and San Antonio, that's about the best I can do for ya.

*edit*

I guess they're still planning to build the Freedom Tower elsewhere. They made the museum underground though, that seems a little odd. They also have the reflecting pools above ground, I assume above the museum, where the towers once stood. The reflecting pools are built in the "footprints" of where the towers were. I guess most of you already know this though.

[War Machine]

They already built the museum? I have not kept with what they're doing there.

Anyway, if you can't go to New York or Detroit, Rolos, you can always drive 2 hours South to San Diego and we can hang out. Or 6 hours North to San Francisco and I can curse your name.

[The Herald]

Canada and the US aren't all that much the same, but I've lived in Canada my whole life, except for a couple months in England. The only places that are similar are those along the border. Small town Canada is way different. We've got rednecks that aren't stupid, try and figure that one out. And small town Christians that aren't supremist. Basically we're like America, but the intensity dialed down a couple notches.

And we got universal healthcare, therefore we'll live longer and have other things to worry about when we get hurt or sick.

Wow, how many of you are becoming doctors in the US? Isn't it dreadfully expensive?

[newbified]

Meh, I never really noticed a huge difference. Other than instead of a Mexican food restaurant on every corner I have either a Indian or Chinese food place. Hell, I didn't even know of any Chinese foods places in the area of California I lived in other than Panda Express... and they don't deliver.

I certainly enjoy the free health care though. Although I've been up here almost 7 years and I've never had to actually take advantage of it. Just the thought that at least if I get hit by a car I'm not going to have to worry about if my HMO is payed up or how much them resetting bones and casting will run me. More money to hit the pub with.

[Rolos]

Hmmm....apparently there's no fucking way they are gonna extend my visa.
Fuck.
I'm seriously starting to consider joining the Marines. Immigrants can do that, right? As long as it makes working and studying here easier, I've no problem with being sent to Irak or Afghanistan. I mean, the odds of being killed there are actually less than if I stayed here.

Observation number 4: You guys are insanely conservative. And Christians here take their faith really seriously. Really, really, really seriously.
It's kinda scary.

[papasith]

Observation number 4: You guys are insanely conservative. And Christians here take their faith really seriously. Really, really, really seriously.
It's kinda scary.

it scares us to0 bro

[Tempest]

Observation number 4: You guys are insanely conservative. And Christians here take their faith really seriously. Really, really, really seriously.
It's kinda scary.

That depends almost entirely on where you are living. The farther north and east/west you go from the centerish area of the country, the more likely you are to run into a Gay Atheist. Until you hit say, Maine. It's like the exception that proves the rule.

[arke]

That depends almost entirely on where you are living. The farther north and east/west you go from the centerish area of the country, the more likely you are to run into a Gay Atheist. Until you hit say, Maine. It's like the exception that proves the rule.

Halfway to the coast... so you're a Homo?

[Buzkashi]

Unless you live in california... your a homo. Tupac said it himself.... i think..?

[Tempest]

Halfway to the coast... so you're a Homo?

How dare you sir. That means I'm Bi-Curious.

[Finito]

Actually, my plan originally involved immigration to Canada, not the U.S.
As it turns out, immigration is really hard for people from the third world there. If you add the fact that my level of French is that of a retarded toddler, the possibility of me getting a canadian immigration visa was practically nonexistent.

French is mostly for the Quebec province, the rest of Canada is English speaking, were you planning to immigrate in Quebec? Thats the province where the doctors are the less paid and are being stolen by the other provinces.

What do you mean by immigration is really hard for people from the third world there? The only difference mostly with the U.S. is the temperature and the super low population spread in a bigger country.

[Rolos]

My uncle Felipe lived in Canada for a couple of years, and he told me there was absolutely no chance I could live there over a prolonged period of time unless I already had a professional tittle, could prove that I was fluent in both english and french, and had a place to stay.
Since I am only a college student, have only a basic grasp of french (I have a diploma certifying I completed a bi-semester French course, which apparently means I could theoretically be able to communicate with a retarded francophone baby) and know no one in Canada, I reasoned my chances were too slim to risk the whole "Fuck Chile" operation by going there.

On an unrelated note, I went to a grocery store for the first time since I came here and, holy crap, most of the store was dedicated tot he sale of: A)Chocolate covered deep fried butter bars, B) Butter covered deep fried chocolate, or C) Disgusting organic stuff.

[The Herald]

Your uncle is crazy then, because I probably speak less French than you. I know tons of people who are living here legally and permanently who barely speak English, let alone French. Your best bet would be to check out the west coast, where you'd more likely find someone speaking Spanish or Chinese instead of French. But don't check it out until about April, right now we're being bogged down by all this olympic traffic.

Though I'm sure you're aware, you spelled immigrant wrong.

[Rolos]

Your uncle is crazy then, because I probably speak less French than you. I know tons of people who are living here legally and permanently who barely speak English, let alone French. Your best bet would be to check out the west coast, where you'd more likely find someone speaking Spanish or Chinese instead of French. But don't check it out until about April, right now we're being bogged down by all this olympic traffic.

Though I'm sure you're aware, you spelled immigrant wrong.

Shucks! Well, that makes things easier. I'll probably go check out Canada next year, see how things roll there.
On the meanwhile, I'll try to make myself comfortable here, and see if it's possible to start the second branch of SPAM! in the college I am currently attending to.
Since I mentioned that: On what year do American/Canadian students start to specialize in a specific area of knowledge? Because the classes I have attended so far have been really easy and the contents very basic, which at first made me wonder if it was possible that the Chilean Education system could be ahead of its first world counterpart, which I know is a ridiculous assumption, because the Chilean education is one of the world's worsts, mainly due to how much it protects teachers (chilean teachers can't be evaluated by the state) and the teachers general "just read your textbooks" attitude.

In a somewhat related note, I just found out how insanely expensive textbooks are here. I'm totally broke, I'll have to live on fake hot-pockets (made by punching sandwiches real hard in three directions) and imitation ramen for what's left of february.

PS: Sorry for the titular typo! (that phrase makes sense, right?)

[Tempest]

Since I mentioned that: On what year do American/Canadian students start to specialize in a specific area of knowledge? Because the classes I have attended so far have been really easy and the contents very basic, which at first made me wonder if it was possible that the Chilean Education system could be ahead of its first world counterpart, which I know is a ridiculous assumption, because the Chilean education is one of the world's worsts, mainly due to how much it protects teachers (chilean teachers can't be evaluated by the state) and the teachers general "just read your textbooks" attitude.

In a somewhat related note, I just found out how insanely expensive textbooks are here. I'm totally broke, I'll have to live on fake hot-pockets (made by punching sandwiches real hard in three directions) and imitation ramen for what's left of february.

PS: Sorry for the titular typo! (that phrase makes sense, right?)

American studies are wierd, because depending on your school, money, or social location, it can be as broad or specific as you want it to be. TYPICALLY, all of High School is pretty broad, but if you are ambitious you can do take specialized classes (Advanced Placement, or extra years in language classes) or even take one or two college courses from a local or community college each semester for transfer credits, but what classes you can take depends on what classes your school offers. You can take German, Latin, Creative Writing, or Studies of Revolutions in an upper class suburban high school, whereas in a crowded public city school, the emphasis is on general education and prepping for college. America's public school problem is that people have to pay higher taxes to get better schools, and THE GUBMENT TAKES TOO MUCH OF MAH MONEY AS IT IS, YA COMMUNIST FAGGOTS.

College (Or University as some cultures call it) is where you spread your academic wings. However, most if not all of them require General Education (writing, some natural science, some social science) classes to get a Bachelors Degree, so most students spend the lion's share of their first 1.5-2 years taking those classes. In reality, your last 2-3 years is where you get really spcified in your field of studies. Then of course you can go for a Masters or an MD or a PhD.

Textbooks have a variety of ranges. Sometimes professors take pity on you and they have photcopied course packets that have all the pertinent info and they cost like $15. Sometimes you have to get a $200 textbook that you read about half of and a $50 study guide you use like twice. Most college bookstores do book buyback at the end of the semester so you can get back 50%-75% of the cost of a textbook, but sometimes you get fucked when they change editions of textbooks for next semester and your book is worthless. I hear that Amazon has great prices for used books, if you don't mind buying over the interwebs.